Sunday, 7 July 2013

If, amongst this week's gorgeous weather and the Murray Wimbledon climax*, you missed what raised a hell of a lot of hackles about Katie Hopkins, here it is.

Now, you may think she is being deliberately controversial, I do. I've written before about her doing just that and I don't expect she'll change anytime soon.

But how very depressing is the reaction from our mob mentality public?

It's enough that the main media channels are shorn of anything which they deem 'hate speech' - even when it's not - and that they apologise profusely if anyone so much as utters a word like 'shit' on the TV or radio. Now, though, merely expressing an opinion is worthy of reply by the modern version of pitchfork and lighted torch.

Within hours of the appearance, Hopkins' website was hacked.

Websites were falling over each other to find the best bullying replies; certain newspapers demanded she be censored; and the thousands who are without sin on Twitter went into righteous overdrive to cast the first (and thousandth) stone, confident that they are far more nice and polite, natch.

Neighbour wants to know why I have pants on my head. 'I have been called c**t so many times today, I thought they would suit me'
— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) July 6, 2013

It was opinion, for crying out loud, and one which has been played upon by left and right-leaning stand-up comedians for decades. Indeed, tapping into the same unsaid prejudice, would Wayne and Waynetta Slob have been half as funny if they were John and Mary with their daughter Jane?

The idea is that you agree or disagree but respect the right of someone to say it. How difficult can that be?

However, in this bovine country, offending someone - even if a very many might quietly nod their heads in agreement - is far more dangerous than losing the right to free speech! Or, in the words of the person many would happily see killed right now.

Welcome to the UK. Here is a short list of things you can say. The list of things you can't stay will be delivered by lorry to your home
— Katie Hopkins (@KTHopkins) July 7, 2013

Quite.

The BBC and ITV have featured Katie Hopkins and will undoubtedly do so again. The reason being that she expresses bold opinion and sparks debate, however much one disagrees with it. There is no law against that, nor should there ever be.

In the past, our country was clever and resilient enough to agree or disagree in our own selves. We were strong, well-adjusted and robust. We may have had a debate over a barbecue on a warm weekend about it - and I'm sure there have been many of them this weekend - but were life-grounded enough to leave it at that.

So how the blithering fuck did we descend into a situation whereby an opinion is justification for the kind of abuse normally reserved for paedophiles and police murderers?

It's not like Hopkins will become the country's most hated person forever. Next week it will be someone else. Then some idiot MP will 'demand action', and down that stupid spiral we will continue to descend.

Is this the same country which won "Two World Wars and one World Cup", as the saying goes? Or just a bunch of easily-slighted myopic bullies who are happy to see free speech curtailed in their selfish pursuit of the perceived right never to hear or read anything which they dislike.

Great Britain? Don't make me laugh.

* He's a Scot apparently, so not worthy of national pride for many hateful idiots.

John Mortimer QC once wrote :‘What should we expect? Free speech is looked down upon with utter disdain’, he says. ‘There seems to be a new rule that says you are not allowed to offend anybody - you can’t offend the Irish, you can’t offend the Scottish, you can’t even offend the Welsh anymore. And now you can’t offend any religious people, even though a lot of them deserve it. It is a politically correct approach that regards free speech with suspicion - as if we all want it just so we can be spiteful and hateful all the time.’

Was at my daughters whilst the prog was on but didn't pay it much attention although the bit about her not liking geographical names and calling her daughter lndia did make me laugh.

l had no knowledge of the twitter and MSM crap as l was too busy outside enjoying the rays and free events in our local parks. My iPhone was used only as a camera ... 'mobile data' was switched off to keep the insanity of this country at bay resulting in an excellent weekend. :)